Science Notebooks

FREE download below

Science notebooks are a way students can keep a journal of their science projects and investigations. There are a variety of effective and creative ways this can be done.
Having students keep notebooks is part of a national movement to emphasize the process and concepts of scientific inquiry, compared to having students memorize a dictionary of science facts.

Spiral Notebook

A spiral or other bound notebook can be purchased and the student's writing can be included in it for each project.

The advantage of the spiral notebook is that it gives the student as much room as needed for each project. The notebook also serves as a journal illustrating their progress through the year.

There are a couple of disadvantages to this type of notebook. If a student makes a mistake, or spills something on their notebook, it effects the whole notebook. Adults often see the usual childhood errors as a record that demonstrates the students' progress - mistakes and all. The student may view it with frustration.

Another disadvantage is the fact that most notebooks will not be filled. If you have a 50 page notebook, and did ten science projects over the course of the year that each took two pages, it still leaves a lot of blank paper. That may translate into a feeling for some students that they didn't do enough.

Unit Study Booklets

Unit study booklets are often preferred by families and teachers who do unit studies.

Booklets usually consist of a collection of 8 1/2 X 11 sheets of paper related to the unit study topic. They are often kept in a three-ring binder until the completion of the unit study. At that time, the student assembles the entire project, creates front and back covers (usually with art work) and binds or staples it.

What is in the unit study booklet?

The science notebook inquiry, with the components listed above.

Bibliography of books read or resources used.

Art work

The raw data from the experiments

Coloring pages or work book pages

Photos of projects

Glossary of terms

Science Matchcards learned

Anything else relevent to the unit study.

Lap Books

Lap books are popular with homeschoolers. They are a more three dimensional representation of a unit study. They can contain all of the information in the unit study booklet, but often with more artistic endeavor. They are fun to share with others and display at shows. They are easily adapted for science experiements and projects.

The main part of the lapbook is constructed from a file folder that is folded in thirds. Index cards, construction paper, origami paper, or other smaller pieces are secured inside. There would be a sub-section for all the main areas of the science notebook:

Question

Prediction

Planning the Experiment

Observation

Evidence

Conclusions

Future Research

One advantage of the lapbook is that the individual pieces are made separately. If an error is made on one index card, it can be replaced without effecting the rest of the sections.

Other Ideas for Notebooks

Here are a few ideas for the science notebook for those using unit study booklets or lap books.

Use a handout with the seven components of scientific inquiry. Download the handout above, or develop your own.

Each of the components can be written on an index card. (Different colored cards can be used.) They can then be cut to the size needed and artistically arranged in a lapbook or poster board.

A paper can be typed with each of the components as a paragraph. This correlates the relationship between science and writing. Clipart can be added as well to make the presentation more interesting.

As with all other aspects of homeschooling, the science notebook can be an individualized, creative, and effective means of demonstrating the students' learning.

Homeschool Science Unit Studies

If your students enjoy hands on projects and unit studies, you will like MatchCard Science, the homeschool science unit study that is dynamic and easy to use.